Premier League Transfer News: Real Madrid want PL manager worth £42.5m, Chelsea offered Serie A striker, and more - 1 June 2018

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League
Will Mauricio Pochettino replace Zinedine Zidane?

It's June and the transfer window is now officially open in most of Europe's top leagues. Although the Premier League's transfer window opened officially at the end of the 2017/18 season, leagues such as La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 saw the transfer window open today.

As ever, Premier League sides have linked with not only a host of players but also managers. It has become a market where even managers are hot property - provided clubs are willing to break the bank for a new boss to take the hot seat.

So who all have been linked with a move away from their respective clubs? Let's dive in and find out whether these reports have any merit at all.


Real Madrid want Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino

If there is one thing Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had hoped for it was that Zidane had made his announcement sooner. Or if Pochettino himself had delayed his own contract extension by a few days.

The Argentine manager has been linked with Real Madrid before but with Zidane resigning from the post - the first ever manager to do so under Florentino Perez - Pochettino became one of the prime candidates for the job, according to The Guardian.

Although there were reports that stated Pochettino had a release clause inserted in his new contract should Real ever be interested in his services, Spurs are adamant that no such clause exists.

If Real are desperate to secure Pochettino's services, they will have to deal with Daniel Levy - a man that is not easy to bargain with, as Spurs found out when they had to pay £86m for Gareth Bale in 2013.

The Times claim Real Madrid will have to pay £42.5m if they want to prise Pochettino away from White Hart Lane. That is basically Pochettino's five-year contract worth £8.5m a year.

However, is Pochettino ready to leave his project behind? It is Real Madrid and La Liga after all - where he started his managerial career with Espanyol before moving to the Premier League.

"I think that our project is so exciting," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "I am so happy and I'm so excited. I signed a new contract 10 days ago - what is going to happen tomorrow, I don't know, but I will always tell you 'football is football.'"

That's not entirely convincing, Mauricio!

Manchester United close in on signing Fred

Shakhtar Donetsk v AS Roma - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred has a €60m release clause

Manchester United have been in advanced talks with Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk for quite some time to secure the services of Fred. The Brazilian midfielder has a release clause of €60m (£52.5m).

However, the Red Devils are unwilling to pay the full amount and are in negotiations to drive the price down. According to Manchester Evening News, the Old Trafford club are looking to confirm the deal before the World Cup.

The Brazilian national team is currently training in England and United want to wrap up the deal before he flies to Russia. His agent Gilberto Silva was in London (where Brazil are currently based) to iron out the final details.

While United are reportedly not in favour of paying the full amount, they could agree to a fee that could rise to the £52.5m Donetsk with the help of performance-based add-ons.

Everton appoint Marco Silva

Everton Unveil New Manager Marco Silva
Everton unveil new manager Marco Silva

After a full season where Everton tried to sign Marco Silva - inevitably leading to Watford's slide down the Premier League table - the Merseyside club have finally got their man.

The Toffees confirmed that Silva had been appointed to replace outgoing boss Sam Allardyce. The English manager still had 12 months to go on his contract and the club are understood to have paid £6m in compensation to Allardyce.

After spells at Hull City and Watford, Silva joins Everton on a three-year deal

"I’m really proud to be the new Everton manager,” Silva told the club's official website. “I’m excited and I’m really happy to take this big challenge for us as a club and for me as a manager."

So how long can we expect Silva to stay at Everton? He has been going up the ladder of English clubs since he arrived in England and has the potential to be a top club's manager in the future.

What are the odds that Silva has a good start with Everton before Spurs decide to replace Real-bound Pochettino with the Portuguese manager?

Juventus "offer Gonzalo Higuain" to Chelsea to re-sign Alvaro Morata

Gonzalo Higuain of Juventus FC celebrate after scoring a...
Will Gonzalo Higuain move to the Premier League?

According to Evening Standard, Juventus are ready to offload star striker Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea in a bid to re-sign Alvaro Morata. Morata had a good start to the season before struggling in the second half of the campaign for the FA Cup champions.

However, having spent two seasons with the Serie A giants, the Turin-based club are reportedly desperate to bring him back. The Evening Standard also claim that Juventus tried to take Morata back on a two-year loan deal with an option to buy but that offer was shot down.

This rumour seems too far-fetched to be true, though. For starters, why would Juventus want to get rid of Higuain?

The 30-year-old cost the club €90m in 2016 when they took him off Napoli's hands and has since scored 55 goals in all competitions for The Old Lady in two seasons.

One possible reason why this rumour has legs is that Morata was reportedly seen with Fabio Paratici - Juve's sporting director. Chelsea have been linked with strikers - Robert Lewandowski to name one - but Juve swapping Higuain for Morata is one bet we will not be making.

Besides, why would Higuain swap Juventus for a club that is now playing in the Europa League?

Laurent Blanc linked with Chelsea job

FBL-FRA-LIGUE1-BORDEAUX-RENNES
Laurent Blanc to Chelsea?

Chelsea's revolving door for managers could begin to spin again if the Daily Mail are to be believed. According to their report, Laurent Blanc has emerged as a new candidate to take over from Antonio Conte.

The former France and Paris Saint-Germain boss has been out of work since 2016 and is now in the running to take over at Stamford Bridge.

Take this with a pinch of salt, though. Chelsea are yet to relieve Conte of his duties and were even linked with former Napoli man Maurizio Sarri who finds himself in a complicated situation at the Naples club with Ancelotti to take charge from July.

However, what puts Chelsea's future in doubt is Roman Abramovich. The Russian owner was denied a UK visa and he has now shelved their plans for a new stadium as well. The owner has always had a hands-on approach at the club and will be unwilling to invest if he cannot enter the country.

So player transfers and managerial appointments may have to wait until Abramovich decides his own future.

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